The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
- Hope and Victory in JesusMarch 30, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Create in Me a Clean HeartMarch 29, 2025 - 6:30 am
- God’s Lavish LoveMarch 28, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Unburden Your Heart TodayMarch 27, 2025 - 6:30 am
- God Believes in YouMarch 26, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Trusting God in ChaosMarch 25, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Uplift Every DayMarch 24, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Deeper Experience of GodMarch 23, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Let Go of the StruggleMarch 22, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Mother’s Miracle MomentMarch 21, 2025 - 6:30 am
Heart of the Artist
- God Believes in YouMarch 26, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Praise in Every StormJanuary 25, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Find New Life in JesusJanuary 16, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Walk in the Park with GodJanuary 11, 2025 - 6:30 am
Stories About Songs
- Hope and Victory in JesusMarch 30, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Deeper Experience of GodMarch 23, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Turning Pain into HopeMarch 16, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Song of Hope in FearMarch 10, 2025 - 6:30 am
- There is Power in the BloodMarch 9, 2025 - 6:30 am
Ice Cream and Friendship
Afternoons with Lauren, Daily DevotionalKenny had learned the hard way that people don’t always care. His home life was falling apart, and he carried that weight on his shoulders every day.
At school, he kept to himself, thinking that if he stayed quiet enough, no one would notice the pain he was carrying.
But Katie noticed.
The other kids laughed when Kenny stumbled and scattered his books across the cafeteria floor, but Katie didn’t. Kenny had braced himself, eyes locked on the floor when suddenly, another pair of hands reached down to help. He looked up to see her.
She did not even hesitate. She just handed him his books and said, “Come on, let’s get ice cream.”
Kenny stared at her. “What?”
She shrugged. “Ice cream fixes a lot.”
He wanted to tell her no, that he was fine, that she did not have to waste her time. But something about the way she looked at him—like she saw him—made him follow her out the door.
They did not talk about what had happened. She did not ask questions. They just sat together in the school courtyard, letting the warmth of the sun and the cold of the ice cream do what words couldn’t. And in that quiet space, Kenny felt something shift.
For the first time in a long time, Kenny did not feel invisible.
Years later, at graduation, Kenny prepared to give his valedictorian speech. He took a deep breath and leaned into the microphone.
“Most people think life is changed by big moments,” He paused and looked at Katie, “but sometimes, it’s something small. A kindness I didn’t deserve, from someone who didn’t have to care.”
When I think about Kenny and Katie, I am reminded that loving people like Jesus doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes, it looks like stopping for someone who thinks no one would.
Dear one, who in your life needs that kind of love? It doesn’t take much to change the trajectory of someone’s world.
You never know. It really could mean everything.
Embracing Moments that Matter
Daily Devotional, Mornings with Lisa, UncategorizedI should have already been on the road. Instead, I was staring at my Jeep’s very flat tire. This was not how the day was supposed to go.
I managed to limp the car over to Christian Brothers Automotive, hoping they could fix my flat quickly and get me back on the road, but they were closed.
So, I left my car there, called an Uber, jumped on a plane, and tried to push the thought of the tire out of my mind.
A few days later, as I flew home, I remebered my car. I hadn’t even called the shop! I wondered….Was my car still in their parking lot? Had they towed it?
When I called the shop, Jed answered and said, “It’s still here. And we actually don’t do tires here.”
Argh.
Before I could even figure out what to do next, Jed kept talking. “We can air it up for you. Or if you’ve got a spare, I’ll put it on.”
I blinked. That was not what I expected. He had no reason to help me, and yet, his offer didn’t cost a thing.
When I got back to the shop, they had already aired up the tires, and I was struck by how intentional they had been with us. They even took the time to teach my son, JD, how to change a flat tire. As a single mom, it meant more to me than words could express. I had tears of gratitude as we drove away.
Jed probably never thought twice about offering his help, but I have not stopped thinking about it. That day, Christian Brothers Automotive truly lived up to their name.
Because isn’t that what following Jesus really looks like? Showing up for people and offering a moment of care when they least expect it? Being kind?
God constantly gives us chances to be that unexpected kindness for someone else. The truth is, we all feel stuck at times—whether it is a flat tire, a flat heart, or a flat hope. What we need most in those moments is not someone to fix us—it is someone to see us and remind us that we matter.
What if today, that kindness starts with you?
Turning Pain into Hope
Daily Devotional, David Hall, Stories About SongsEliza hated the silence. Her life had always been so full of movement and things to do. She spent her days teaching, writing, and serving others. But now, all of that was gone.
The injury had taken it from her.
She lay in bed, her body aching, her spirit restless. The days felt unbearably long, and the quietness stretched on. At first, she fought against it. She asked the same questions over and over: Why me? What now? Where are you God?
But as the days passed, she started to read her Bible. This was not the casual kind of reading for passing the time. No. She was desperate.
And in those long, slow hours spent in the Word, she saw things she had never noticed before. Words she had once skimmed past now felt alive. Promises she had memorized now felt like they were written just for her.
She knew she was not just surviving this hardship—God was doing something in it.
One day, she found herself humming a song she had started writing before the injury. It was just another project back then. But now? The words meant something. It went like this.
“When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!”
She had never clung to heaven like this before. She had never needed to. But now, her hope in Jesus felt different. Stronger. More real.
When she finally released the song, it spread like wildfire. People who were hurting and searching found something in those words—something bigger than their pain.
Eliza Hewitt would have never chosen this hardship, but looking back, she saw it clearly. Her pain had not been wasted. God turned her silence into a song of hope, and it was too valuable to keep to herself.
That’s the thing. Sometimes, the greatest good that comes out of our hardship is what we are called to give away. Could it be that the very thing you are wrestling with is the thing that someone else needs to hear?